Dennis Rodman apologized today for comments critical of former Torrance resident and missionary Kenneth Bae, saying they were made after he had been drinking.

Bae’s family, who earlier slammed Rodman for his “outrageous” comments suggesting that Bae may have deserved his imprisonment in North Korea, welcomed the apology.

The former NBA star, who was leading a group of basketball players on a visit to North Korea that some have characterized as “basketball diplomacy,” issued the apology through publicist Jules Feiler in an email message to The Associated Press.

“I want to apologize,” Rodman said in the email. “I take full responsibility for my actions. It had been a very stressful day. Some of my teammates were leaving because of pressure from their families and business associates. My dreams of basketball diplomacy was quickly falling apart. I had been drinking. It’s not an excuse but by the time the interview happened I was upset. I was overwhelmed. It’s not an excuse, it’s just the truth.”

Bae’s sister, Terri Chung of Edmonds, Wash., told The Associated Press today that she remains worried about the fallout from Rodman’s original comments made earlier in the week on CNN.

“I think it’s good to see him recognize the gravity and the urgency of Ken’s plight,” she said. “It’s nothing he can make light or play games with.”

The original comments brought a quick reaction from Bae’s family, who said Rodman’s remarks insinuated that Bae “has done something sinister,” Chung said.

Bae, a resident of China who operated tours of North Korea, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor last May for vague “crimes aimed to topple” the widely reviled totalitarian regime.

The eccentric Rodman slammed Bae on Tuesday when he was asked whether he planned to speak to officials about the American, who is reportedly in poor health after 14 months of captivity.

“Kenneth Bae did one thing — if you understand — if you understand what Kenneth Bae did,” Rodman said. “Do you understand what Kenneth Bae did in this country?”

Replied the reporter interviewing Rodman: “They haven’t released any charges. They haven’t released any reason.”

Rodman did not respond further.

But Bae’s family, usually publicly circumspect in their comments for obvious reasons, ripped Rodman, who has boasted he is good friends with Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“He is playing games with my brother’s life,” said Chung, who like her brother graduated from West High School in Torrance.

“There is no diplomacy, only games, and at my brother’s expense,” she added. “Dennis Rodman could do a lot of good by advocating for Kenneth to Kim Jong Un, but instead he has decided to hurl outrageous accusations at my brother, insinuating that Kenneth has done something sinister.

“He is clearly uninformed about Kenneth’s case, and he is certainly not in any position to pass judgment on Kenneth Bae, who has never (had) any hostile intentions against the DPRK.”

Chung late Tuesday implored North Korea to show Bae “mercy” and asked President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to “take urgent action to secure Kenneth’s freedom now.”

Rodman dedicated the basketball game played Wednesday to his “best friend” Kim, who along with his wife and other senior officials and their wives watched from a special seating area.

The capacity crowd of about 14,000 clapped loudly as Rodman sang a verse from the birthday song.

Along with Rodman, the former NBA players included ex-All Stars Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson and Vin Baker. Also on the roster were Craig Hodges, Doug Christie, Charles D. Smith and four streetballers.

The game is a new milestone in Rodman’s unusual relationship with Kim, who rarely meets with foreigners and remains a mystery to much of the outside world.

However, Smith on Wednesday said he “feels remorse for coming to Pyongyang with Dennis Rodman for a game on the North Korean leader’s birthday because the event has been dwarfed by politics and tainted by Rodman’s own comments.”

Kim, who inherited power after the death of his father in late 2011, is believed to be in his early 30s, but his age has not been officially confirmed.

Until recently, his birthday was also not widely known — though it was quietly observed Wednesday elsewhere around the capital.

Digital First Media and The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Veteran journalist Nick Green is the beat reporter for the cities of Torrance, Carson and Lomita and also covers the South Bay's rapidly growing craft beer industry for the Daily Breeze. He has worked for newspapers on the West Coast since graduating in 1987 from the University of Washington and lives in Old Torrance with his wife and two cats. Follow him on Twitter @NickGreen007 and @BeerGogglesLA.